


Like steps of passing ghosts

by Sneakend



Category: Naruto
Genre: Blood As Lube, Blood and Gore, Established Relationship, Fictional Religion & Theology, M/M, Minor Character Death, Murder, Swearing
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-08
Updated: 2021-02-08
Packaged: 2021-03-13 11:00:36
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,036
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29277363
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Sneakend/pseuds/Sneakend
Summary: Short cuts make long delays.
Relationships: Hidan/Kakuzu (Naruto)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 11
Collections: Chocolate Box - Round 6





	Like steps of passing ghosts

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Senri](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Senri/gifts).



> (The summary is from Lotr.)
> 
> Ran out of time but I'm going to fix some mistakes and tweak the ending today.

It was late afternoon when they stepped on the mountain path. It started as a gentle slope through the sparse foliage, but after they'd trekked for a while it changed into a steep incline. What had seemed like a well maintained, even road in the beginning turned into uneven ground littered with roots and large stones. As if climbing wasn't bothersome in and of itself, now Hidan had to worry about breaking his ankle too — not that something like that would slow him down for long, he just didn't want Kakuzu to see him roll down the hill like some clumsy peasant.

"Fuck this shit!" he announced as a root stretching across the path almost managed to trip him.

Kakuzu paid him no mind, simply continued on without even glancing behind to make sure that Hidan was still following. Typical.

Hidan hastened his pace until he was mere steps away from his partner. "Is this really the only way?"

"No," Kakuzu replied.

"Then why the fuck didn't we take another route? I'm already sweaty."

"This is faster than going around the mountain. Now shut up."

They came to a torii gate that Kakuzu didn’t even glance at. Hidan hesitated for a second before stepping forward, a shiver running down his back. The air felt colder on the other side but that couldn't have been possible. Maybe it was the lack of oxygen playing tricks on his mind.

"The air feels pretty thin," he said, walking in silence was boring as hell.

Kakuzu shot him an incredulous look. "What are you talking about?"

"You know, when you go high up it gets hard to breathe?"

"We've walked for less than an hour," Kakuzu said slowly as if talking to a child, "and you think the air is getting thin?"

"Well, I don't know! Forget I said anything."

"Believe me, I usually do."

The conversation died again. Kakuzu may have fancied himself an intellectual but he severely lacked social skills. Hidan shook his head in disappointment. The only topic the man could talk about for longer than a minute was money. Hidan had no interest in that but the further they climbed in the oppressive silence the more compelling even that started to sound. Maybe if he started a conversation on investing or something he could then discreetly steer the discussion into something more interesting — sex, or Jashin, for example.

As he was about to open his mouth he got the distinct feeling that someone was staring at him. He whipped around and right there, in the middle of the path, just a few meters behind him sat a fox. It stared at him with its dark wet eyes and bared its teeth at him. Hidan blinked at it before crouching down to pick up one of the stones at his feet. He chucked it at the animal with enough force to kill had it met its target. However, the fox was too quick and made a hasty escape into the nearby bush, the stone hitting the ground with a thud and rolling further down, picking up speed and disappearing.

"Did you see that?" he asked.

"I swear if you don't stop fucking around I'm going to kick you down the hill myself," Kakuzu growled.

"Kakuzu! Why are you always so hostile? You need to loosen up."

"What I need is to finish this mission."

"Yeah, I know, I know," Hidan said ignoring the headache that was starting to build up behind his eyes. "So if you had a lot of money, what'd you invest it in?"

That at least got Kakuzu to look at him. "Are you getting sick?"

"Maybe, I told you the air feels thin."

"You're an idiot," Kakuzu said with an exaggerated sigh but Hidan was almost certain he could detect a hint of fondness in his voice as well.

"You say the sweetest things."

* * *

The sun was already setting when it started to snow. Up to that point, the weather had been warm enough to make climbing uncomfortable so the sudden drop in the temperature came as a surprise. And because they were just that lucky, the snow started coming down heavier and heavier accompanied by a strong wind until it was a full-blown blizzard. 

"I'm so glad we took this path!" Hidan yelled but the wind carried the words away before they could reach Kakuzu who'd once again gained on Hidan. 

They really should've taken the long way. Who gave a shit about a few extra days? They were both immortal for fuck's sake, if anyone had time it was them. Hidan bet there would've been inns and some decent food, not to mention <i>no snow</i>. Instead, they had this mess. They'd probably have to dig a hole in the snow for shelter if the weather didn't let up soon. It was too dark to continue upwards. He had to focus on the ground to see where he was going, not that it helped much with everything already coated in a heavy dusting of snow. 

Too focused on his feet to notice Kakuzu had stopped Hidan walked straight into him. "Hey! Are we stopping for the night?"

"I think there are some buildings ahead."

Hidan peered into the distance but couldn't make out anything. "You sure? Wouldn't the path be in better condition if someone lived here?"

"Could be abandoned."

"You'd say that, because then we wouldn't have to pay," Hidan said, squinting against the wind that kept blowing snowflakes into his eyes. 

Kakuzu shrugged. "We can always kill the owner if it's not."

"Yeah because that's easier than paying," Hidan said sarcastically. He wasn't exactly opposed to murder but that didn't mean he had to agree with Kakuzu's motives for it. 

"Exactly."

* * *

As it turned out, Kakuzu had been right on both counts. There was a house and it was empty, dark windows staring out into the night. It was larger than a regular house, and the washed-out sign hanging above the entrance welcoming guests looked like it might fall off at any moment. 

"Why'd you build an inn here?" Hidan wondered. 

Kakuzu yanked open the unlocked door. "There's supposed to be a shrine at the top."

Hidan scoffed. "Must be dedicated to a shitty god since nobody's living here anymore."

"All gods are shitty."

"Not Jashin!"

Kakuzu stepped inside and Hidan followed close behind. The air inside was stale and cold but at least they were safe from the biting wind. Ahead of them, a long, dark hallway stretched out. 

"Hello?" Hidan voiced a greeting into the silence of the building. 

"What do you think you're doing?" Kakuzu hissed at him. 

"Making sure it's abandoned."

"Did you ever actually go through any ninja training?"

"What's the worst that could happen?" Hidan asked dismissively.

Kakuzu was so prone to overreacting. What was the point of skulking around like they were ANBU or something? Even if someone was hiding within this maze of empty rooms there is was no way they'd have a chance against the two of them. 

Kakuzu shook his head slowly. "I'll scout the place. You find us a place to sleep.“

With that, he disappeared quietly into the darkness. Hidan could've followed, it wasn't like Kakuzu could order him around, they were supposed to be a team, to be equals, but walking around this musty dump wasn't exactly an enticing concept especially when it easy highly unlikely there'd be anything to find. 

He rubbed his frozen hands together and pulled open the first door to the left only to discover someone had left the window to the room open. There was a considerable pile of snow spreading dampness into the tatami below. He closed the window in hopes that it might raise the temperature indoors even slightly. Maybe he'd manage to convince Kakuzu to share some body heat even if it meant sucking him off first. 

Hidan returned to the hallway and kept opening and closing doors until he found a room that seemed to be in decent condition. There were even futons in the closet that looked like they'd been mostly spared from rodents and mold. Thank Jashin for the small graces. 

The sound of running feet from the hallway had him turning around. "Kakuzu? Is that you?"

There was no answer. 

Hidan pulled the door open with enough force to bend the wooden frame. "Stop fucking around!"

The hallway was as empty as it had been a few minutes ago. Hidan frowned. It wasn't like Kakuzu to pull stupid pranks, and now that he thought about it the steps had sounded like they came from bare feet. But who'd run around without shoes in this weather? 

He backed into the room and shut the door. If there was someone running around, Kakuzu could deal with them since he'd already so eagerly volunteered for the job. Hidan pulled out the futon and spread it on the floor, debating with himself whether he should set up one for Kakuzu. He didn't exactly want to hear any jokes about him doing his wifely duties. Not that Kakuzu was big on jokes but you could just see it in his eyes when he looked at you, the way he thought was above everyone else.

The sound of someone running past the room cut through Hidan’s thoughts. There was no mistaking it for a figment of his imagination, the sound was loud and clear on the bare wooden floor.

"That's it!" Hidan stepped into the hallway only to find it empty again. "If that's how you want to play it…"

He stepped back but left the door open. He stood there, arms crossed, waiting. If someone ran past again he could not miss it. After what seemed like an eternity, the sound of steps appeared. He jumped across the threshold ready to surprise whoever had been tormenting him.

"I swear I'm going to eviscerate you if you don't—“ The threat died on his lips as he was faced with Kakuzu’s unimpressed stare.

"Have you finally lost your mind?"

"Oh, Kakuzu, you're back," Hidan said as his gaze fell on the unconscious man Kakuzu was dragging along the corridor. "Who the fuck is that?"

"He's got a bounty on his head."

"Are you serious? I should've known you had ulterior motives choosing this route, we could be eating warm food instead of being stuck in this haunted shit hole right now."

Kakuzu scoffed. "Haunted? I don't even want to know."

He dropped his meal ticket in the corner of their room, rolling his shoulders and making his way to the futons that Hidan had ended up placing next to each other. Hidan followed him and sat down, pulling a blanket close. Then he inched towards Kakuzu till their legs were touching.

"What are you doing?" Kakuzu asked.

"I'm cold," Hidan said, not even caring if it came out whiny. "And my head hurts."

"You want to infect me with whatever you have?"

"You know what? Fuck you, you can suck your own dick," Hidan huffed. It wasn’t like he was even sick!

He started to turn away when Kakuzu reached a hand behind his neck. "Come here."

"You could at least apologize," Hidan grumbled though he knew Kakuzu would never lower himself to actually saying the words.

"Don't push it."

Kakuzu tightened his hold on Hidan’s neck and guided his head quite unceremoniously towards his crotch. Hidan could only sigh. Kakuzu's idea of foreplay was always a quick blowjob — administered solely on him, of course — and then him fucking Hidan on whichever surface happened to be closest. It wasn't necessarily _bad_ but a little variation wouldn't have hurt. Hidan supposed it was because of Kakuzu's age, he was just stuck in his ways and for all he liked to insult Hidan's intelligence he never put his own brain to work when it came to sex.

However, Hidan wasn't about to start a fight over the issue right now. His headache was bad enough that he just wanted to have a quick orgasm in hopes that it'd alleviate the pain, and then sleep a good eight hours at least. So he let Kakuzu push him down, pulled his dick out, and got to work on it. It didn't take long for Kakuzu to be fully hard, his libido hadn't been affected by his age, and Hidan was sucking on the tip, preparing to swallow the whole thing down when he heard a loud groan from the corner of the room. The corner where Kakuzu had dumped the body of his target.

Hidan pulled off with a wet sound, glaring up at Kakuzu. "That asshole's _alive_?"

"I didn't say he was dead."

"You implied it!"

"What does it matter? Do you have performance anxiety?" Kakuzu's face was covered by his mask and thus unreadable. He sounded smug though.

"Yeah, I have anxiety about him stabbing me in the back while I'm sucking your dick!"

Kakuzu sighed. "Turn around then."

"Why?" Hidan narrowed his eyes suspiciously.

"I'll fuck you on your knees so you can keep an eye on him."

"Why not just, you know, kill him? I can do it." It had been days since he’d sacrificed anyone, after all.

Kakuzu shook his head. "Are you going to carry him to the drop off point tomorrow too?"

"Fine. But if he attacks us tonight I'm not sucking you off for a month at least."

Kakuzu frowned at him and for a moment Hidan thought his threat had actually hit home. Then Kakuzu reached out a hand towards Hidan's face and he almost pulled away. You never knew with Kakuzu, really, he could turn violent without a warning. This time, however, he simply swiped at Hidan’s nose with his finger. It came back red. Hidan hadn't realized his nose was bleeding but it was almost like now that his brain registered the fact the bleeding immediately increased in volume. He slapped his own hand across his face but it did little to staunch the bleeding.

"What's wrong with you?" Kakuzu asked.

"Can't I have a nosebleed for no reason?" Hidan asked, regretting opening his mouth when he got blood in it.

"You've never had one before."

"I told you. There's something wrong with this place."

"Hmm." Kakuzu entwined his fingers in Hidan's hair and pulled his head back between his legs. "Remove your hand."

Hidan floundered. "What! Kakuzu!"

"I'm doing you a favor. You don't have to cry about the lack of lube this time."

"I hate you," Hidan groaned but stopped resisting.

The blood dripped down, crimson blotches hitting Kakuzu's dick and running down its length in rivulets. It should've been disgusting but somehow this whole situation was just making Hidan more and more aroused. He didn't really care what it said about either of them that this was the way they ended up spicing things up. He used his hand to spread the blood all over Kakuzu's length, stroking him until Kakuzu made an impatient sound and dragged Hidan up so that they were meeting eye to eye.

By now Hidan's nosebleed had slowed down to almost nothing. Kakuzu pulled down his mask and leaned in, swiping the remaining blood off Hidan's face with his tongue. Hidan had no time to react before he was turned around and shoved down on his knees. Kakuzu didn't waste time getting Hidan's ass exposed and then he pushed in without warning. Hidan hissed at the intrusion though it wasn't as bad as before, this blood thing might've actually been a good idea.

Kakuzu grabbed his waist with both hands, pulling him back against his thrusts. Hidan tried to keep an eye on the man lying in a heap on the floor but as Kakuzu fucked into him violently he had to concentrate more on not losing his balance and hitting his head, something that had happened more than once in the past.

It didn't take long for Kakuzu to finish inside Hidan. He slouched down on Hidan's back, sending them both crashing down on the floor. Hidan was about to complain when Kakuzu sneaked a hand between his legs to jerk him off. He made it good, just like he knew Hidan liked, hard and almost painful. Hidan pressed his forehead against the floorboards and groaned as he came all over Kakuzu's hand.

They lay on the floor panting, the cold making him shiver. 

"My head really hurts," he mumbled. 

"Go to sleep," Kakuzu told him. 

* * *

It had stopped snowing sometime during the night. They still had to wade their way through ankle-deep snow but the sun was high up in the sky offering some hope that the snow might melt before they made it off the mountain.

Hidan wasn't about to admit it out loud but Kakuzu had made the right decision not to kill his target the previous night. Having to drag a dead body along would've slowed them down whereas now the man was meekly following along under his own strength. Well, he was following Kakuzu and Hidan was trailing behind, making sure the man didn't get any ideas about escaping. Although if he decided to jump off a cliff Hidan wasn't planning on stopping him since he hadn't agreed to this side quest in the first place.

His headache hadn't disappeared and the sunlight wasn't helping so he kept his eyes mostly on the snow-covered path in front of him. That's why it didn't take him long to realize his nose was bleeding again, the droplets falling into the snow in stark contrast with the surrounding whiteness.

"Damnit," he mumbled, wiping the blood off on his sleeve.

The man walking in front of him turned to give him a long look.

"The fuck you staring at?" Hidan barked at him.

The man didn't answer, of course, since Kakuzu had had the foresight to gag him. He simply shrugged before continuing on.

They trekked on in silence, finally reaching the top of the mountain sometime around noon. As Kakuzu had said, there was a shrine up there, though its condition was dilapidated enough to suggest there was no to look after it anymore. Hidan wondered if the followers had abandoned their god — or the other way around.

Kakuzu stopped, forcing everyone behind him to follow suit. Hidan assumed they were going to take a break before starting the descent. He would've sat down but thought better of it because of the snow. He almost missed Kakuzu stepping up to the shrine and through the doorless entrance.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm checking out whether they left something valuable behind," Kakuzu said without turning around. He disappeared inside.

"Who are 'they'?" Hidan yelled after him but received no reply.

Whatever, he wasn't about to follow Kakuzu, there was little chance such a dump would have anything of value or interest. Hidan closed his eyes, rubbing his temples.

Their prisoner saw that as his chance to get away. Somehow, he'd slipped his restraints, dug out a sizeable rock from underneath the snow that he threw at Hidan's head hoping to knock him out. Hidan registered it only at the last minute, ducking and slipping in the snow.

"Oh, hell no!" He exclaimed as he launched himself at the other man. Concussion was the last thing he needed. That and he didn't want to hear what Kakuzu would have to say about him letting their hostage get a jump on him.

There was some commotion, the two of them rolling in the snow for a good minute before Hidan managed to pin the man down by his throat.

"That's it," he said, staring down at him, "I don't care what Kakuzu says, I'm sending you to Jashin."

The man-made a garbled sound that Hidan didn't even make an effort to interpret. He tightened his hold till the man fell unconscious and wasted no time setting up his ritual. It was Kakuzu's fault that it had come down to this. Leaving Hidan alone with some lowly criminal and then not even having the decency to come out and assist when he could not have missed the sounds of their scuffle.

Hidan shot a furtive look around but there was still no sign of Kakuzu. All he had to do was be quick. As the man at his feet blinked himself awake, Hidan stabbed himself. He waited for the telltale surprise from his sacrifice, or at least for the physical evidence of blood, yet nothing happened.

"What the…?" Maybe it was a fluke? Just to make sure, he stabbed himself in a different place. Still nothing.

"What do you think you're doing?" Kakuzu materialized next to him. He'd probably been more worried about the silence than the sounds of fighting, fucking asshole.

"Kakuzu, there's something wrong! It's like he's immune to my attack!"

"I told you to not kill him," Kakuzu pointed out. He didn't sound angry though, casting a contemplating look on the man who was still lying on the ground, unharmed. "Let's see if he's immune to this."

Kakuzu grabbed Hidan's scythe and swung it down in one smooth movement, the blades penetrating effortlessly through the man's chest. The man's whole body jerked, a spray of red exploding out of his mouth. Any protest Hidan might've had over Kakuzu stealing his weapon as he watched the man choke on his own blood. What a waste of a good sacrifice.

"I'm still not carrying him," Hidan said just in case.

To his surprise, Kakuzu voiced no argument, simply hoisted the body up after dislodging Hidan's weapon and started on the path down the mountainside.

It should've been easier, going down, but with every step, Hidan's legs felt heavier and heavier and the ache in his head seemed to multiply whether he closed his eyes from the sun or not. He thought about asking Kakuzu whether he'd found something in the shrine but as seconds ticked by he forgot if he'd already voiced the question or only thought about it.

He was determined to make it off the mountain, if for nothing else then at least to find a halfway civilized place that sold something that'd get rid of this headache. It seemed like the mountain itself was conspiring against himself, however, because he tripped on a root buried in the snow, hitting the snow hard.

He knew he should get up but the task seemed insurmountable. He shivered at the melting snow seeping into his clothes, making everything cold and miserable. He closed his eyes, allowing himself a few seconds to gather the strength to push himself up. He must've dozed off because he was startled awake by someone's hand on him.

He didn't have the energy to fight it when Kakuzu rolled him around. They stared at each other wordlessly for a while, Kakuzu probably trying to determine whether he was just fucking around and being difficult. Apparently, he decided against that, crouching down.

"What's going on with you?" he asked.

"I don't feel good. I told you."

"I thought you were just complaining like you usually do."

"I don't complain," Hidan argued.

He expected Kakuzu to disagree, to scold home for being useless, something characteristic like that. Instead, he picked Hidan up almost gently. 

"What about your bounty?" Hidan mumbled again Kakuzu's chest. 

"Don't worry about him."

That's how Kakuzu carried him down. Hidan dozed on an off, telling himself he'd just rest for a bit and then continue on his own. Being carried was humiliating regardless of whether there was someone to see but it really wasn't an option at this point. 

Kakuzu's steps were sure and he didn't slip in the snow even once. If he had further comments on Hidan's pathetic condition, he kept them to himself. As the ground evened out, Hidan opened his eyes just in time to see them step through another torii. It would've been only vaguely interesting except immediately when they emerged on the other side it was like Hidan's ears popped and he could breathe normally again. 

"Hey, let me down."

"You sure you aren't going to faint on me?" Kakuzu asked, letting him down slowly. 

"I feel fine," Hidan said. 

"The headache?"

"Gone."

**Author's Note:**

> "Listen. .  
> With faint dry sound,  
> Like steps of passing ghosts,  
> The leaves, frost-crisp'd, break from the trees  
> And fall."  
>  _-Adelaide Crapsey_


End file.
